Of more interest in the gains over the last quarter are the year over year #s. The Beat is +2.7 since Feb 2010 while Z95.3 (Virgin) is -0.7. In News, both CBC Radio 1 (+3.6)and WX (+0.9) are big gainers while NW wonders where their listeners went (-1.3). Fun-FM is down 1.7 and both QM and CISL are off marginally. Too bad they don't have a feature that measure how many people kept their radios off in favour of other options (digital downloads on smartphones played over the FM band, CDs, Sirius Radio). Don't know about you, but Bluetooth technology has changed how I use my FM Radio in a BIG way and it doesn't bode well for terrestrial radio!

It's all a moot point coz all the corporate numbers-crunchers are busy analyzing their numbers to death to find out if they've picked up a quarter-share in that critical "minorities with a physical disability who drive BMWs" demographic! Or salvaged some good numbers amongst the "vertically-challenged Metro residents with critical hair loss!" I was always amazed how the bean-counters could put a positive spin on the stinkiest of numbers.

crs wrote:Too bad they don't have a feature that measure how many people kept their radios off in favour of other options (digital downloads on smartphones played over the FM band, CDs, Sirius Radio).

Yes, it is always something to keep in mind. These numbers are percentages. A station could have much bigger numbers today than two years ago, yet still have fewer listeners listening for less time, if the "total pie" (radio listenership as a whole) got a lot smaller in that time period.

Unless QM does something revolutionary, two months from now when those PPMs come out, they will have an 8.2 and be back at #4. All Christmas music for December will take another two months to get flushed from the PPM numbers.

WX is the one that never ceases to amaze me. In early 1970, as they threw in the towel on All News, if someone told anyone at CKVN-1410 that an All News station 31 years later could do so well in the ratings, they would either wonder what they were doing wrong, or sigh that they were too far ahead of their time. Likewise, CKO management would be shocked to see how well Rogers All News stations are doing 20 years later in Toronto and Vancouver.

#1 on my list of amazing facts: 4 of the Top 9 stations are on AM, and 2 of the Top 3! Everyone says that AM is dead. I'd like to be that dead.

jon wrote:WX is the one that never ceases to amaze me. In early 1970, as they threw in the towel on All News, if someone told anyone at CKVN-1410 that an All News station 31 years later could do so well in the ratings, they would either wonder what they were doing wrong, or sigh that they were too far ahead of their time. Likewise, CKO management would be shocked to see how well Rogers All News stations are doing 20 years later in Toronto and Vancouver.

jon wrote:..if someone told anyone at CKVN-1410 that an All News station 31 years later could do so well in the ratings, they would either wonder what they were doing wrong, or sigh that they were too far ahead of their time.

Probably a bit of both; did they do traffic every ten minutes on CKVN? Border reports? I remember many stations doing 20-20 news style formats in the early 70's so "dumbing down" is not a new strategy.

"You don't know man! I was in radio man! I've seen things you wouldn't believe!"

First of all, Paul P. this doesn't count against me as signing in on something non-sports....because sports is in this.

CKVN obviously was ahead of its time.....we worked in half-hour blocks...no traffic reports unless something untoward happened. Weather reports were regular features....as was sports.....reports twice in the hour....basically the same as WX is now, except its weather is more often...sports on the 15 and 45. We did have room for other sports...as in editorials by Stuke and myself.....business news by Bruce Hood. On Fridays, long features about what is coming up at City Hall in the next week. I recall Bob Sargent was the main man on that.

A large fleet of Peugeot station wagons for reporters.....one was sold to me when all-news was cancelled....a $500 payment.Think Mike Dixon and company had run the vehicles ragged by then. A valiant effort by all concerned. Some great guys and ladies in that news team....many no longer with us. Sorry to bring all of this into the ratings subject, but someone did mention CKVN.

crs wrote:Of more interest in the gains over the last quarter are the year over year #s. The Beat is +2.7 since Feb 2010 while Z95.3 (Virgin) is -0.7. In News, both CBC Radio 1 (+3.6)and WX (+0.9) are big gainers while NW wonders where their listeners went (-1.3). Fun-FM is down 1.7 and both QM and CISL are off marginally.

Whe i look at it... QM seems pretty healthy. For how up and down PPM can be, QM is even keel. You could almost draw a straight line on a graph.

CISL is on AM and ANYONE listens is a miracle. The fact that crushes on a ton of FMs... now that is special.